Late Night Cravings
by Penelope Troy
Summary: All Kagome wanted was ice cream. Why does Inuyasha always have to be so difficult?


DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha is not my own, and though this physical world will not allow me to have him, the physical world can't do a blasted thing about my dreams! I also do not own the songs _Shook Me All Night Long_ and _Highway to Hell_. They belong to AC DC.

Late Night Cravings

By: Penelope Troy

"You're insane."

Kagome turned and glared over her shoulder down into the dark well. She may not have been able to see him, but he could definitely see her. "I am not."

Bending her elbows slightly, the girl pushed up with all her might and launched herself over the well's edge. She dusted her hands off and smirked, proud of her small feat and glad that she had remembered to change into jeans and a light sweater before returning to her time. The light sun dress she had been wearing earlier would have been more than a hindrance coming back through the well, especially since a certain someone was in a sulking mood and not too anxious to be where he was.

"Inuyasha, are you coming?" Kagome asked, throwing another look over her shoulder as she made her way to the door of the well house. "Or do I have to go back down there and get you?"

"No."

Kagome frowned, her blue-gray eyes bewildered. "No you don't need me to get you, or no your not coming?"

"No, I'm not coming," his voice echoed obstinately from the dark time portal.

_He's so impossible_, she thought, marching purposefully back to the well. And so help her, she was not in the mood to put up with it. "Inuyasha, if you don't get up here right now, I'm going to s-word you all the way back to Kaede's!" It was an old but dire threat.

And it worked.

A second later, Inuyasha, in a red and silver blur, shot into the well house and landed with his arms crossed in front of Kagome.

Her smile was patronizing as she tweaked one of his flattened ears. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Inuyasha scowled. Even if he wanted to pout and say yes, he was not about to give her the pleasure. Instead, he snorted disdainfully and made his way for the door. "You coming, wench?"

"Kagome is coming," she muttered, rubbing her temples and pushing past him. "Wench isn't here." The untactful nickname wore out long ago, and she found her patience for his blatant insults waning with each day. She treated him better than that and deserved the same.

But Inuyasha did not seem to catch the message and just snorted again. "Whatever."

He followed her retreating back into her house, staying far enough behind to give her some space. Insults may have idly come from his mouth, but he was smart enough to know when she was mad and stay behind a bit. Invading Kagome's personal space when she was angry was like giving the go ahead to begin World War III.

Inuyasha shook off the thought as he followed her into the house. Kagome definitely shared personality traits with a bomb at times, and this was one of them. One wrong move, and he could count on a shouting match or worse when she exploded. His hand absently drifted to his cheek when he remembered the one time she slapped him across the face for yelling at her about returning to her time. That had not been a good day at all. Not only had she returned to her time after restraining him with several _sit_ commands, but she did not even look at him when she came back, let alone speak to him. It was two days before she said a word to him, and even then the words were clipped and short until he bucked up and apologized.

Inuyasha eyed Kagome warily as her mother bid them goodnight and headed off to bed. Yes, definitely combustible.

"Inuyasha?"

He snapped back to attention at the sound of his name, his cheeks tinging red when he realized he had been off in another world.

A tiny smile quirked Kagome's lips when she saw his cheeks flush, and she motioned for him to come with her into the kitchen. He may be the toughest person she knew, but he sure did blush easily. Passing the table, she pulled out a chair for him to sit in and made her way to the refrigerator.

"I still don't know why you wanted to come back this late for food," he mumbled, dropping into the chair. "Kaede made plenty."

"It's not that," Kagome answered airily, her concentration focused in the freezer as she searched for something. "Kaede made a wonderful meal. I just need something sweet." She continued to dig through the various frozen foods her mother had stored in the icebox.

"Sweet? Why didn't you just eat some of that stuff you brought for Shippou?"

"That's too sweet."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and turned to watch her. She stood on her tiptoes, arms hidden in the freezer as she still searched for whatever it was she wanted. Obviously, she had not found it yet. But while she was turned around and oblivious, Inuyasha took the time to get a good look at her. His eyes slowly lowered from her dark hair to the light pink sweater she wore and then down the length of her legs to her feet. He would not have dared if she were watching, knowing that _sit _would follow almost before he even looked at her, but since she was not watching, he was granted the time to appreciate the young woman she had turned into before his very eyes.

He would be branded a liar if he said that she was not attractive, knowing full well that he thought she was – knew she was. And he was not the only who thought so. Several times, the young men in the village had been victims of his snarl when their eyes roamed a bit too appreciatively over her body.

His look turned thoughtful when she dropped her arms and shook her head. She had grown taller, but not too much. Just enough to proportion her body. Her hair was longer, now reaching halfway down her back, and more curves had formed over the four years he had known her. Inuyasha smirked. Kagome had been pretty curvaceous when he first met her. He could not begin to describe how her new curves made her look.

And her face. She had a sweet, womanly face, her underlying innocence still visible though it had changed. Her eyes had softened a bit more, and her cheekbones became more defined. All in all, she was beautiful, but he would rather kiss Sesshoumaru than tell her that.

"You there?"

"Hmm?" Inuyasha questioned lazily, lifting indolent amber eyes to look at the girl now standing directly in front of him. It did not register that he had been caught staring until he felt her hands on his forehead.

"You feeling okay? You were spacing out pretty bad. I call you three times."

He was feeling okay until her felt her cool hand against his skin. Thinking about her and then having her touch him was a rather detonative combination. Inuyasha stood abruptly, ignoring the slight look of hurt in her eyes. "Did you find what you wanted?"

Kagome shook her head, choosing to ignore his brash behavior. "No, we're all out of ice cream. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to get any." She reached for his hands and pulled him up. "Follow me."

Inuyasha obligingly followed, curious as to what she was up to.

"Wait here," she ordered, disappearing into her mother's room for a moment. When she came back, she was holding some strange clothes.

"Put these on." Kagome thrust the clothing into his hands and then lead him into her room. "You can change in here. I'll be right back."

Kagome disappeared, and Inuyasha stared blankly at the clothes in his hands. He understood the shirt, but the pants...

_I think she called them jeans..._

Oh well. He would figure it out.

When Kagome returned with a couple extra items, she found Inuyasha dressed and surprisingly correctly. She smiled. "Fits you well."

No offense was taken when he snorted and looked away. She knew he was sensitive to compliments. "Here put these on." Kagome handed him a red baseball cap, matching his red shirt and also a pair of sandals. It would drive him crazy trap his feet in tennis shoes.

Inuyasha struggled with the sandals a bit, finding the leather thong between his toes irritating, but they were not too bad. He could deal with them.

"What are we doing?" he finally asked.

Kagome grinned and dangled her mother's car keys in front of him. "We are going to get ice cream."

Inuyasha stared. "You mean that we're wasting more time here for food."

Sighing, Kagome shook her head. "Just don't argue with me right now, Inuyasha. I'm tired, have this crazy craving for Rocky Road, and quite frankly, you might find that you have fun. Now come on."

Seeing that she really was growing weary and giving that he had already provided her with enough stress in the well house tonight, Inuyasha follow and silently slipped into the passenger seat of the car when she unlocked the vehicle.

Kagome put the keys into the ignition and backed the car out before popping one of her favorite CDs into the CD player. She really just needed some peace for the moment, and before she knew it, she was quietly singing along with AC DC. But when _Highway to Hell_ came on, she quickly changed the song, not enjoying the title of the song considering that the individual next to her was more or less following that path because of a certain undead miko.

"This noise is obnoxious," Inuyasha announced suddenly.

"This _music_ is classic," Kagome countered.

Amber eyes slid over to her and remained unamused. "It's inappropriate."

"What's the matter, Inuyasha? Afraid I might shake you all night long?" Kagome laughed at her joke and the look of disbelief that crossed his features. Nothing like a little sexual innuendo to utterly freak him out.

"No, I'm afraid I might shake _you_ all night long."

Her voice stopped singing along with the "inappropriate" song, and she turned shocked, wide eyes from the road to look at him. Did he really just say that?

Inuyasha, on the other hand, simply looked back at her with a serious expression before turning his head to look out the window. When he knew she could not see him, he smiled and held back laughter. It was nice to be able to silence them once in a while with a surprising comment or two, and judging by the look on her face, he had done it well. Now, if only he was completely joking when he said it...

"You've been hanging out with Miroku too much," she muttered turning into a parking lot.

"No, I haven't. Miroku would have let his hands wander the minute that song started." He gave her a pointed look. "It would have encouraged him."

"And you have more self-control?" She jumped out of the car and Inuyasha did the same before she locked him in the car.

"Yes, I haven't ever laid a finger on you, have I?"

Kagome remained silent for a moment, flustered. "Yeah, well, who said that you wanted to anyway?" She turned around and stormed into the store.

Inuyasha stared for a moment. There was that combustible personality again. Things were fine one moment and then strange the next, leaving him utterly confused. Oh well. He followed her.

"What do you want?" she asked, pointing to the ice cream cooler when he approached her at the counter.

"Nothing." He crossed his arms and looked down at her. Was everything normal again? It was hard to tell.

She gave him a sharp glare. "You're getting something."

He shrugged. "You pick then."

If they were not so cute, Kagome would have twisted his ears off at that moment. But she held her temper and ordered the ice cream. After handing Inuyasha a Banana Split cone and securing her own Rocky Road in her hand, she grabbed him by the arm and lead him outside.

"We're going for a walk," she announced. "There's a park a little up the way, and I want to relax."

"Fine," Inuyasha said, falling into step beside her. He tentatively took a small bite of his ice cream after he saw that Kagome seemed to be enjoying hers. His eyes widened a bit. He could see why Kagome was craving it so much. It was good.

"Like it?" Kagome asked, seeing that he had finally given it a try. The small grin that he gave her as he nodded surprised her, but she smiled back all the same.

"Thank you," he said, and Kagome beamed. Those words did not pass his lips all to often.

"You're welcome. If you think that's good, then try this." She held the cone out to him.

"Rocky Road?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously. "It doesn't taste like dirt and rocks does it?"

Kagome stopped for a moment until she realized that he was thinking literally about the roads they walked. She laughed a little and shook her head. "It's just the name, Inuyasha. You don't really think that I would eat rocks, do you?"

His eyes sparkled a bit as he leaned over and took a bite. "Maybe."

She laughed at his teasing, glad that the night's mood had lifted considerably. They walked in amicable silence, simply mixing in with the other people out for an enjoyable night. It surprised Kagome at first how much fun she was having roaming about Tokyo with Inuyasha. Dressed in the t-shirt and jeans with the baseball cap on his head, he pretty much fit right into her time, as long as she was the only one communicating with him. He followed her lead well, but she knew he would be lost if she left him alone.

As he walked, focusing his attention on all that happened around him, Kagome seized the moment and let her eyes take a good look at him. She felt her pulse quicken. Yes, he was undoubtedly handsome. He had grown considerably since she had first met him. Where he was tall before, he towered over her now. Muscle definition had increased and become more defined, and his shoulders were broader. Kagome had discovered that the day he got frustrated with her and tossed her over them to carry her off. His hair was a bit longer but still wild and free. She stole a glance at his face. _Perfectly chiseled,_ she thought, grinning. And his eyes...well, in short, they were beautiful. So unique. She loved their expressive nature, their color, and everything about them. _Yes,_ she thought again, looking up at him,_ he's gorgeous and completely unaware of it._

__"See something you find interesting, Kagome?"

She blushed to the roots of her hair at having been caught staring. "Maybe," she replied, not knowing what else she could possibly say. After all, she had been caught in the act. Inwardly she cringed. How embarrassing!

But Inuyasha seemed to be completely unworried. He calmly strolled along side of her as if nothing happened, taking in the nightlife before him.

Kagome shook her head to clear her mind and smiled when the park came into view.

"It's right up there, Inuyasha," she said, tugging at his sleeve. "Come on." She quickened her pace, trusting that he would follow.

The darkness that the small grove of trees provided was a welcomed change from all of Tokyo's bright lights. She saw her favorite bench overlooking the small pond in the middle of the grove where the moon and stars sparkled in the water and turned around to smile at Inuyasha.

"See? I told you this place was relax..."

He was not there.

"...ing." Kagome frowned and dropped down to sit at the base of a tree. "So much for relaxing. I've lost a demon in the middle of Tokyo."

"You didn't lose me."

The sound of his voice and then that of a branch snapping above her jerked her head up. And she found herself face to face with an upside down Inuyasha.

"Don't. Do. That." she stressed through clenched teeth. She hated being snuck up on.

His mouth opened wide and his eyes closed as he yawned, his fangs glistening in the soft moonbeams. "It doesn't bother you that much, wench."

"Wench?" she asked angrily.

Hearing the tone in her voice, Inuyasha opened his eyes and blinked. He was surprise to see tears spring into her eyes. "What is wrong with you, girl?" he asked.

"Oh, sit!"

Inuyasha felt the magical pull on his neck before he plummeted from the tree and straight into the ground head first. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Sit," Kagome said simply, brushing the liquid from her eyes as the hole in the ground grew deeper. "If you don't know, then you really are thick-headed." Not wanting to listen to Inuyasha's muffled curses, she made her way over to the bench by the pond and sat. Her eyes rested on the slightly rippling water, and she felt somewhat calmed.

Well, calm until Inuyasha suddenly appeared quite literally in her face. His nose pushed up against hers as he glared directly into her eyes, quite obviously fuming at having been sat twice. She could plainly hear his uneven breaths and feel his shoulders heaving as he tried to keep his temper under control. His eyes began smoldering when she turned her own glare back at him, and then Kagome did the only thing that she deemed sensible.

She kissed him.

She did not grab his face and passionately crush her mouth against his, and she did not pull a little schoolgirl "hit and run" where one barely knew that they had been kissed. No. Kagome knew what she was going to do and deliberately tilted her chin up until her lips gently pressed against his. She only allowed for her mouth to brush against Inuyasha's for a moment before pulling away and looking at his stunned features.

And he was so stunned that he did not say anything but instead calmly took a seat beside her. They remained in silence for a few minutes, staring out at the water. Inuyasha fidgeted once or twice with his hat, clearly uncomfortable and confused about the kiss, while Kagome seemed not to have a care in the world.

And at the moment she did not.

"Why did you do that?" Inuyasha finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Because I wanted to," Kagome casually replied.

"Why?"

"Because I like you."

Kagome held back a smile when Inuyasha seemed to choke. Blatant honesty was not as difficult as she once thought it to be, and she knew she would have never done what she had when she was younger. But she was older now, and much bolder.

"You know that don't you?" she asked, turning her body on the bench so that she sat facing him Indian-style.

Inuyasha nodded – barely.

Kagome chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "I also like kissing you." She smiled when his head snapped toward her, a look of astonishment in his amber eyes. It truly was easy to disconcert him.

"Actually, I really liked it," she said standing, continuing with her honesty bit. She looked at him. "And I'm not shy about it either."

"Kagome," Inuyasha warned when he noticed the look in her eyes.

But Kagome ignored him and dropped straight into his lap. "I'm not a silly little girl any more, Inuyasha."

"I'm aware of that," he answered through clenched teeth. _More than aware._

"Well," Kagome said breezily, taking the hat off his head, "I'm going to make sure you are."

Inuyasha did not stand a chance when she lowered her head and took his mouth again. Before his actions could even register, he felt himself responding to her, grasping her chin lightly with his one hand and cupping her cheek as his other rested on the small of her back. He felt one of her arms circle around his neck and tangle in his hair while the other lay comfortably against his chest.

When Kagome finally pulled away, Inuyasha let out a quiet growl.

"I'm not sorry I did that," she answered, reaching up to scratch his ears. "Not sorry at all. And I think you liked it as much as I did." She laughed when his ears flattened to his skull.

"Wench," he growled.

Kagome's playful mood suddenly ceased, and without a word she got up from his lap and went to sit at the water's edge.

And understanding suddenly donned on Inuyasha.

His eyes widened slightly as he watched her bring her knees up to her chest and rest her cheek atop them, staring out at the water. He was not surprised when the scent of salt reached his nose. _That _was what had been irritating her all night.

"Kagome," he said quietly, moving to join her.

She turned her face from him when he sat to her right and hugged herself closer. He just did not understand.

"I'm sorry."

Kagome snapped up and looked at him with confused, tear bright eyes. "What?"

Swallowing, Inuyasha reached up and brushed her bangs from her eyes. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." He took a deep breath. Apologizing was not something he was used to.

"I just get so frustrated with you sometimes," she whispered and wiped at her eyes.

Inuyasha remained silent, letting her speak.

"You know that I care about you –" she paused "–and I know that you care about me too. But sometimes you act like you don't. Every time you complain about me coming back to my time for whatever reason, it seems like you don't care. Do you not realize that I miss my family here too?" She looked at him, and Inuyasha ducked his head in shame.

"And the names. After four years I would at least think you would at least use my own name or maybe even a small endearment. But _wench_? _Girl_? _Weak_? I won't even say the other one."

Kagome stopped speaking as tears coursed down her cheeks. "I hate crying in front of you – in front of anyone. But it happens when I get frustrated." She sniffled a bit. "It's not because I'm weak. I need to cry.

"I'm tired of arguing with you all the time. We know each other better than that. I know that I'm to blame as much as you are when we fight, but I thought that after four years we would at least be sensitive to each other. But it seems like we're stuck. I feel like I'm trapped with you in a miserable little room and can't get out. But I want it to get better."

Inuyasha did not know what to say, so instead he wrapped his arms around her. He knew that he should not use certain offensive names with her, but after years of habit, they came all too easily. The arguments – she was right. Both of them needed to work on that.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and he felt Kagome smile.

"Me too."

"Kagome?"

Kagome looked up just in time to feel Inuyasha's lips coming down on her own. Soft and gentle, it did not last more than a moment, but Kagome felt it through every ounce of her being.

"What was that for, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha smirked. "Why are we here tonight?"

Kagome looked bewildered. "I had an ice cream craving, so we came for ice cream. But I don't see what that has to do with you taking the initiative to kiss me."

His eyes seemed to sparkle a bit as he stood up and turned to leave the park. "I just had a craving –" Inuyasha hesitated "–doll." With a smug, satisfied look, he began to leave.

_Doll_?

Kagome narrowed her eyes as she got up to follow. "Inuyasha?"

"Hmmm?"

"Sit."

Owari

A/N: Hope that you all enjoyed. If you read this, please review. I worked hard on it. God Bless and take care. _Penelope Troy_


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